Frequent Flyers Swear By This Card—Here's How Chase Sapphire Preferred Makes Travel Way Easier

Forbes

12-05-2025

Good things come in small packages: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an all-in-one solution for travelers who are happy handling all their expenses with a single credit card. With an awesome rewards program, benefits that provide extra value and an affordable annual fee, this card can make paying for your next trip a breeze.
If you've been considering applying, Chase announced that Thursday, May 15, at 9 a.m. EST, is the last day to apply for the 100,000-point welcome offer on the Sapphire Preferred via the application link on our website.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - See Rates & Fees
Travel budgets are seldom as high as you'd like, but you can get an easy jump-start as a new cardholder of the Sapphire Preferred. After approval, you can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's likely to induce instant daydreaming over how and where to use your points.
The current offer ends Thursday, May 15, at 9 a.m. EST. So avoid future FOMO and apply soon to get this massive bonus.
One of the things that sets the Chase Sapphire Preferred apart from other travel rewards cards is its participation in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program. These flexible points are valuable regardless of how you redeem them: toward travel, transferred to airline and hotel partners or even cash back. Most other programs only offer one or two of these options at a fair value.
Cash redemptions are worth a full cent per point, but as a traveler, you'll likely find the other redemption options more exciting. You can easily upgrade your points value by 25%, to 1.25 cents per point, when redeeming points for trips booked with Chase Travel. Nearly all flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and even some activities are available with this option.
Point enthusiasts will instead lean into the option to transfer Ultimate Rewards to partnering airline and hotel programs. Many of these transfers can lead to even higher yields if you're strategic.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners
One of the easiest ways to offset the $95 annual fee is through the card's yearly hotel credit. Each card member year, cardholders can earn up to $50 in statement credits by booking one or more hotel reservations through Chase Travel. Any hotel available on the platform and paid for with your Sapphire Preferred will qualify toward this credit, meaning frequent travelers should have no trouble using it.
The Sapphire Preferred is one of the best credit cards for travel insurance—it has a wide range of coverage available at no extra cost when you book qualifying trips paid for with your card. Among its trip protections are:
While you may choose to purchase a separate, more comprehensive policy for some trips, the included insurance may be adequate for others, giving you peace of mind and a wallet-friendly alternative.
One of the unspoken requirements of a travel credit card is that you can rely on it wherever you go. As a Visa credit card, the Sapphire Preferred is likely to be accepted nearly anywhere that accepts credit cards, regardless of where you're heading around the world. You don't even have to notify Chase in advance of your trips. And with no foreign transaction fees, you won't have to pay for the privilege of paying by card no matter where your travels take you.
For travelers seeking a straightforward yet powerful tool to navigate the world, the Chase Sapphire Preferred emerges as a compelling travel companion. By neatly packaging valuable rewards, practical benefits and low fees, this card can enhance your journeys and fuel your travel aspirations.
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